January 7, 2011

All Aboard for Gun Safety?

By Richard Kantro
From the New York City Department of the Absurd, Division of Performance Art, Bureau of Toys, comes a real-life poster currently displayed on subway cars rumbling through New York.  These things used to be called "public service announcements."  Lately, however, what with their cartoonish presentation, hypersimplified language, and bizarre messages both obvious and obtuse, I'm not sure what they are.  Whatever -- they're a far cry from the "Meet Miss Subways" profiles of the middle of the 20th century that were so much fun.  (Smile at them here, here, and here.)No, the placard I saw yesterday showed two nice, big, real-looking handguns.  Except one was shiny and black, while the other was shiny and bright red.  The large-type teaser line read, "Which one is real?  Not the one you think."OK, this was supposed to occupy my mind for a half hour or so.  But I was only on that train for one quick local stop, so I had to...(Read Full Article)